FOTO PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

THE GOAL IS ZERO – A STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE WATER BORNE DISEASES IN LOWER NYAKACH

1. WATER TESTING

FOTO project has tested water sources in the project area where 70,000 people have no access to safe drinking water. This is to ascertain the bacterial quality of drinking water. Using evidence based Portable Microbiology Laboratory, we have confidence in reporting remarkable reduction in water related diseases by 95% according to a survey done in July – August 2017. Also  reports from the health facilities in Lower Nyakach confirm this.

 

2 . AQUA GUARD DISTRIBUTION

In the fight against waterborne diseases in Lower Nyakach, FOTO project has made fathom record  touching lives of  over 17,000 households and over 79 schools both primary and secondary (public /private) through hygiene  and sanitation promotion and  providing  free 9,360 bottles of 150ml aqua guard  every month since the inception of the project. We have distributed over 800,000 bottles of aqua guard in the villages. Diarrheal, Typhoid and other waterborne related diseases have been greatly reduced since then and this is a land mark milestone that the Project has made since the project was started in 2009. We therefore work extra hard to ensure we don’t relent in sealing all the gaps for any kind of such outbreaks. Cholera has been unheard of since FOTO started giving out free aqua guard to every household in the community in 2012.

3. READING GLASSES

FOTO project has inculcated a reading culture to grandparents and  families who were unable to afford the reading glasses from hospitals. This has touched over 26,000 lives in the communities within lower Nyakach. People with eyesight problem can now see small things including  reading and writing  using the reading glasses distributed on a monthly basis by FOTO project.

 

 

4. SPONSORED GIRLS PROGRAM

Education is the backbone of a society and a pillar through which a society is recognized. In line to the various factors FOTO project has made tremendous steps to see education of over 100 vulnerable girl child succeed in terms of support through:

• Full school fee payments
• Full school uniforms
• Sanitary pads and
• Pocket money for their upkeep in the various schools they are enrolled in.The program has seen more vulnerable girls qualify for universities and colleges. In line with that, during holidays they gain from skills training with key interventions in  computer applications knowledge and creative skills such as basket weaving, fireless making and tailoring.

5. CERTIFIED SEEDS

FOTO has also supported the elderly through the provision of certified seeds to increase food production and security.

In the last 10 years, FOTO project has been able to provide 15,000 Household with certified seeds to boost their food security and reduce their poverty situation in Lower Nyakach

 

6. INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Due to integration of ICT application to schools curriculum and high demand in the digital migration from analog to digital system, FOTO project has been in the forefront to ease the process through provision of free computer application packages training to youths in our program.

The ICT program has established youth bureau  offering ICT solutions to build powerful sources of information used to engage in infrastructure delivery. The approach is using of Facebook and alumni groups for tracking youth graduates and compiling and linking with youth employment enabler networks.

.7. SAFE WATER PACKAGES

FOTO Project over the last 10 years has provided e 15,000 households with safe water packages which have impacted positively on the lives of elderly people and reduce the burden of waterborne diseases to zero.

Many are enjoying good health courtesy of FOTO project interventions.

 

 

8. SOLAR COOKITS DISTRIBUTION

FOTO Project has provided over 5000 solar cookers to households targeting mainly elderly persons living with grandchildren orphaned due HIV/AIDS. The project aimed at reducing environmental degradation and creating smoke free environments during food preparation in cooking environment.

These interventions have led to a major reduction in respiratory tract infection among children under 5 years and the elderly peers.

9. VILLAGE ACCESS FACILITATORS AND VILLAGE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT

FOTO has a team of 26 women working in the 13 locations in Lower Nyakach as Village Access Facilitators (VAF) and Village Enterprise Support (VES). Their main work in the villages is to educate the communities on  how to conduct water testing to ascertain the bacterial quality of  drinking water using  Portable micro-laboratory  (PML).They sample water sources in the villages, conduct tests and create awareness on water hygiene and sanitation .They also teach communities the importance of using aqua guard in treating drinking water.

The staff are the representatives FOTO project in their locations. They provide crucial link between the beneficiaries and FOTO Project Office. In the last 10 since the project was initiated, there has been remarkable progress contributing to improved health standards and welfare of the beneficiaries due to their proximity to the beneficiaries in the project area.

10. COVID 19

Corona virus pandemic came without an alert tone not only in Kenya but also to the rest of the countries in the world.  FOTO project found herself in the war against Covid 19 since the stakeholders are the community members and managed to reach the stakeholders as follows.

FOTO staff through their daily follow-up visit to the elderly, have been able to provide over 10,000 face masks and teaching them on the importance on social distancing, wearing masks in public places and general awareness on government containment measures to curb the spread of corona virus in the villages.

 

 

We distribute 800 mask in the villages every week. FOTO intervention of providing face masks has been appreciated by the elderly people who have no money to buy the mask during this difficult time of the pandemic.

 

The staff have also installed over 300 hand washing facilities mainly  tippy taps installed at strategic points within homesteads  to promote frequent hand washing using running water and soap to prevent the spread of Covid19.

Other beneficiaries that have been targeted with FOTO distribution of face masks include Bodaboda riders, market women, bus stage managers and small business operators in major market centers within Lower Nyakach, the project area.

  Sponsored Girls

A total of 53 sponsored girls benefited through the programs rolled out by FOTO project during the Covid 19 pandemic which include:

• Provision of face masks to all sponsored girls and providing basic house hold commodities to reduce the burden caused by Covid19.
• Provision of 40kg maize grains each to support them and their families
• Provision of cash for their upkeep and the families
• Provision of sanitary towels
• Creative skills training such as basket weaving, fireless making and tailoring and again reading of various set books and story books to ensure they are engaged all the times.

FOTO Staff

• A total of 31 staffs were also targeted through the following programmes/intervention rolled out during the pandemic;
• FOTO Staffs benefited from getting 15% increment on their monthly allowances.
• Provision of gumboots to assist them in rendering the services to the communities during rainy seasons.
• Provision of 40 Kgs maize grains each to support them and their families during this difficult time.

Community benefits

Communities in Lower Nyakach have been major beneficiaries of FOTO project intervention   that includes:

• Distribution of free face masks
• Door to door outreach educating households on the benefits of keeping social distance, wearing face masks  in public places, hand washing/sanitizing and  avoiding crowded places in order to safe guard them from Covid19.
• FOTO project ensured bodaboda operators and taxi operators within Lower Nyakach were provided with face masks at work places, with a total of 20,000 face masks distributed to-date.